Vagal nerve stimulation can result in reduction of heart rate and potentially change blood pressure, as noted in U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,134 to Hill et al. issued Dec. 21, 1999, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein. Depending upon the proximity of vagal nerve stimulation to the larynx, one prominent side-effect can be laryngeal activation. While a medical device is being implanted into a patient, the patient is typically anesthetized and, therefore, unable to indicate when laryngeal activation is occurring. Physicians generally need to observe laryngeal activation to adjust the delivery of the electrical stimulation.
After the medical device has been implanted and the patient is ambulatory, laryngeal activation can still occur due to, for example, postural changes or lead migration. Laryngeal activation is uncomfortable for a patient. It is therefore desirable to address potential laryngeal activation.